Source: ez board kung fu fandom member vengeanceofhumanlanterns

 Human Lanterns 82' (without question one of Lo Lieh's most daring roles, besides the unique storyline, the choreography of the fight scenes are amazing, then you up the anty with a cameo/fight with the awesome Lo Mang. this films storyline makes a profound statement on the possibilities of what can happen when a man is shamed beyond his capacity to contain it. especially if that person is dejected and an outcast already, resulting in an outburst of calculated madness which motivated by this intense, emotional anguish, creates an unpredictable, unstoppable monster. such is the depth of, and are the psychopathic meanderings, which Lo Lieh's character in this film present to viewers as something almost supernatural.)

Have Sword Will Travel 69' (a very well done film and an excellent performance by David Chiang, as with Ti Lung, and Ku Feng never looked so cool. the continuity is seemless in this film. the animosity between David Chiang and Ti Lung is tangible and Li Ching's inevitable transition from Ti Lung toward the starving, drifter/master swordsman, who's only trusted friend is his horse, is believable. there's a great scene concerning this matter in the storyline as well. Wang Chung is excellent here as the Ghost Mute.)

The Black Butterfly 68' (a great, yet very under-rated film. Chiao Chiao, Yueh Hua, Ku Feng, Fan Mei Sheng, Tien Feng, Chen Hung Lieh, the great director himself as the main villian, Lo Wei. This film is probably his greatest effort and a complete bloodbath in the conclusion. Superb acting by all concerned and completely unpredictable. VCD only right now, for english speaking fans anyway.)

King Cat 67' (another under-rated film. This is possibly Chiao Chuang's greatest role as the Brocaded Mouse. Chang Yi provides a role which proved his regal position among the Shaws guild. a very beatifully shot film with an extremely amusing storyline. some of the fighting is japanese quality choreographing.)

Twelve Deadly Coins 69' (the sets in this film are highly inventive, the awesome and legendary character actor, Fang Mien is the main villian in this film. Lo Lieh is the misunderstood student of Tien Feng, Ching Li is adorable as ever here as well. Lo Lieh takes some very serious abuse as the captive of Fang.)

Death Valley 68' (a great Yueh Hua vehicle. superb choreographing with elaborate and very stylish sets, inventive cinematography as well. this film boasts one of Chen Hung-lieh's few -if not only- roles as a hero instead of villian. he does a suberb job here as the suspicious tool of the beautiful and bearing, Angela Yu Chien.)

The Bloody Parrot 81' (this soon to be released classic stars Jason Pai Piao with Liu Yung as co-star. the story is very dark and quite disturbing as Pia Piao totes his dead friend's corpse with him from tavern to tavern and drinks to him. this film also has the most authentic scene of an actually possessed women, we're talking a disgusting display of being possessed here. the choreographing is unsurpassable in this film as well.)

Intimate Confessions Of A Chinese Courtesan 77' (one of director Chu Yuan's greatest films. His tempo with the storyline not at all convoluted, the seemless choreographed fighting, the intricate plot matched with the ultra-stylish sets. a masterpiece of cinematic presentation.)

The Blood Brothers 72' (an epic feature with Ti Lung as the upstart hero who falls in love with reckless ruffian, Chen Kuan Tai's beautiful wife Ching Li, this spells doom for Ti Lung as he makes irreversible decisions resulting in revenge from another of the brothers David Chiang.)

Swordsman And The Enchantress 78' (Ti Lung and Ching Li together again with Ti Lung as an outcast hermit like ruffian with a heart of gold saves Ching Li from being raped by a relative and his evil instigator. this results in her once again falling in love with Ti Lung although she's married to Liu Yung, this results in an awesome duel between the two, but the plot, storyline and unfolding of events do not stop there. highly imaginitive story here.)

The Duel 71' (one of Chang Cheh's greatest efforts, along with The Heroic Ones and Vengeance, Ti Lung takes responsibility for his fathers murder after a rival gang fight, this results in his ultimately returning to find out he's been deceived, he then becomes determined to unveil the truth and exact revenge, just about everybody in the Shaws retinue at the time were in this film including David Chiang and Ku Feng. there is an excellent scene where Ti Lung goes to the brothel to see if his former fiance was actually working there and betrayed her loyalty to him, very heavy scene, with intensley emotional output, in fact this whole film is very intense.)

Vengeance 70' (one of David Chiang's most grimly determined revenge roles. Ti Lung dies horribly at the hands of Ku Fengs gang, after insulting Ku Feng in front of his whole gang, instructing him to never flirt with his wife again, or else... David Chiang returns to the scene of the crime to mete out justice and an all out bloodbath ensues.)


The Venom's Films:

The Flag Of Iron 80' ( somewhat of a rehashed storyline of The Duel, but an entirely different movie. Kuo Chui takes Ti Lung's role over and returns to decipher what he fears may be true, with the help of Chiang Sheng. Lu Feng is the deceitful madman here and he kicks some serious ass at the end of the film. authentic chinese operatic choreographing with the use of the flags/spears. very colorful and fantastically choreographed.)

The Magnificent Ruffians 79' (probably the most realistic, serious, and depressing of all the Venom's output. Chiang Sheng, Wang Li, Sun Chien, and Kuo Chui are homeless vagabonds who resort to eating at restaurants and taking turns with who'll receive the beating for not paying -Kuo Chui meets the other three during one of these happenings- Lo Mang provides a great role here with his usual bravo and Lu Feng as the bloodless master who cruelly kills all oponents he spars with, does a fantastic job. the choreographing near the end especially is amazing. at times you can see that if Kuo Chui and Chiang Sheng didn't duck in time Lu Feng would have shorn their heads clean off. matchless choreographing here.)

House Of Traps 81' (this rare film had circulated for decades as a bootleg (basically) unwatchable for english speaking fans. i've just veiwed the remastered version and i must say i was very pleased with every aspect of this film. the storyline, the acting, the plot, and especially the fighting. all are spot on solid. the fighting near the end is amazing especially on Wang Li's and Lu Feng's parts.

one of the princes decides he's gonna revenge his father's premature death. so he builds the House Of Traps to accomplish this end. Lu Feng starts the story off with stealing a precious jade horse presenting it to said prince for proof of his loyalty. they decide to lock it up in the House Of Traps in case the emperor gets any smart ideas. after some appropriate storyline dynamics Kuo Chui shows up with the Pearl Crown to express his loyalty to the scheming prince. Lu Feng and he already exhibit some animosity with Kuo's copy cat offer to the prince. Kuo then heads out to further prove his loyalty.

Chien Hsiao-hou does a great job fighting and acting wise. Though he's in no way the lead actor in the film.

the film has an excellent cast: Wang Li (Lord Bao), Lu Feng (Butterfly Hua), Kuo Chui (Black Fox), Lung Tien-chiang / spearman of death guy (Shen Zhong Yuan), Sun Chien (Yan Chun Min), Chiang Sheng (The River Rat).

the pacing is just fine. there's plenty of action interjecting the dialogue throughout the entire film and the storyline is solid.

the fighting throughout is superb, especially between Kuo Chui and Lu Feng, also near the end between Wang Li and his two opponents Chiang Sheng and his partner. Wang Li does this great move with his weapon. As Wang is engaged with Chiang and co. he locks his two hooked swords together by the hooks and swings them at his adversary then unhooks them and continues his barrage on his two opponents. Dosen't sound like much, but the seemless flow to this very well practiced choreographed scene is highly impressive. In fact, the choreographing throughout the film, especially near the end is incredibly well rehearsed. it flows very naturally and comes off extremely realistic as a result. near the end of the film I found myself endlessly rewinding fight scenes to see just how well orchestrated they actually were. we're talking lighting fast, real speed, choreographing here.

(An after thought) you kinda get the feeling Chang Cheh was somewhat in someway trying to accomodate Kuo Chui and Lu Feng during their confrontations so as to not incite (actual) resentment with favoring either's role (or character) with being the more proficient killer while filming House Of Traps for fear of either actor possibly walking angrily off the set, as they are very evenly matched here. i don't know, just passed through my mind while watchin the end fights, especially.

Oh, by the way, i'd definitely give this film a 8.5/10 )

Life Gamble 78' (one of the earliest Venom's feature's with the choreographing not done by the Venom's themselves. this is a storyline first action later film and not the strongest in representatiion of the Venom's abilities, however this is a great character oriented film and Fu Sheng does great with one of his few parts in a Venom's film other than, Heaven And Hell and the Brave Archer series.)

Five Deadly Venom's 78' (the first feature devoted specifically to Kuo Chui, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Sun Chien, and Lo Mang, not one of their strongest films, but nonetheless a charming depiction of their skills. the storyline and action is very well paced as well.

Crippled Avengers 78' (Chang Cheh put together a better storyline this time and suped up the characters in this the second bonified Venom's feature. Throwing Chen Kuan Tai into the cast guaranteed success. The Chiang Sheng's character is a little silly at times and the honing of extraordinary skills taught to the cripples is very far fetched, this is not what venom's fans are much concerned with, it's the character of each actor and the fight choreographs which are most important here, and both are truly delivered.)

The Kid With The Golden Arm 79' (yet another of the great Venom's films with Kuo Chui playing a very entertaing role as the drunken Hai Tao. the story is a bit silly, but then again it's the characters and their fighting abilities we're concerned with here. Lo Mang is truly show cased here along with Kuo Chui and then you have Sun Chien cast in rare form as a villian the ending fights are extremly well done here.)

Ode To Gallantry 82' (a nice piece of work approaching the end of the Venom's reign in martial art cinema. here we have Wang Li cast as one of the baddest asses of the storyline. strong storyline,coupled with perfectly choreographed fights , though a bit sparse, still you through the likes of Tien Ping in there and you have an excellent film. Also in this film Chiang Sheng plays a very different and effective role as a white faced villian.)

Legend Of The Fox 81' (here we have Chiang Sheng as the villian a role he dosen't usually possess. The is alot of fighting in this film between Lu Feng and Kuo Chui respectively, both are honorable men, but through the trickery of Chiang Sheng tragedy unfolds and revenge becomes the determination and fate of the characters involved. great film.)

Two Champion's Of Shaolin 80' (Lo Mang is up against the entirely deceitful Lu Feng who does a tremendous job with his role here as the Monkey King of his three masked, monkey hitmen. when he first meets Lo Mang at the grave of someone he'd just murdered he delivers a truly excellent performance. although laying out silken rugs and exquisite dishes before the unaware guests Lo Mang and co. he then goes on to explain that, "me? I'm a nobody, just a traveling scholar, certaintly not as important as you famous fighters." we're talking spot on delivery with his lines here. this is the english dubbed version I'm citing here.)

Shaolin Rescuers 79' (Kuo Chui and Lo Mang start this one off as good friends who work for unappreciative employers. Pai Piao is on the run as he was wounded, comes across Lo Mang and Kuo Chui who discover who this famous rebel is when Sun Chien reads it to them. this scene is very amusing. before Sun chien arrives to read the letter to them Lo Mang is holding the document upside down, sideways, clueless as to its content, so Kuo Chui grabs it from him with a "here, let me see that, you can't read." where as Lo Mang's somewhat ashamed he instantly realises kuo Chui cannot read it himself. very humorous scene right there. in fact the story is peppered with them. great film.)

Invincible Shaolin 80' (here we have Wei Pai return to the Venom's roster. this a really good Venom's film IMO. the fighting is excellent the treachery believable, and the inability to clear the misunderstanding between North and South Shaolin up is well depicted here. this film has some of the very best training sequences ever filmed as does Marco Polo, far fetched i know, but highly entertaining.)


Other Venom's films are:

The Brave Archer Series 1 - 4 (the first being one of the best of this series.)

Heaven And Hell (a fragmentary collage of films pieced together over a year or so of filming off and on for this feature.)

Marco Polo (only Kuo Chui in this one, yet great film all around.)

there are more ie: The Joyful Goddess and The Death Ring (the latter is a Lu Feng directed film which has Chen Kuan Tai in the first half of the film as well as Lu Feng and notable others, but the second half is like a completely different film and NOT in a good way.


Avenging Eagle 78' (probably one of THE best written storlines in the Shaws library throw in a cameo with the fighting instructor Tang Chia who meticulously worked on the fighting in this film with the obvious full co-operation of the continuity specialist and the directer and you have a masterpiece. Ti Lung is the renegade Eagle from the Iron Eagle clan and Ku Feng as the master of which dosen't allow for any descension in his clan -Ku Feng is truly in top form here as usual and deserves to be considered one of the greatest actors Shaws ever graced the silver screen with- this film boasts of the most intense two on one fights ever filmed. there are others but this is some intense battling here. not to mention the script for this film is elaborate, emotionally charged, and as sincere as they can be. one of the top ten best films of the genre.)

Shaolin Mantis 78' (David Chiang stars in this Liu Chia Yung directed masteroiece on the origins of the Mantis Fist style. the fights in the end of the film which takes up the last third of the storyline are simply amazing and the homage paid to each weapon used and their benefits and drawbacks is stylish and educational on weaponry use

The Heroic Ones 70' (an allstar stellar cast and the most invested film of it's time -a reported million dollars or more was apparently spent on this production- Ku feng, deservedly is cast as the father of a clan of sons who are all very good warriors. david chiang and Ti Lung are his favorites though and this is beginning to offend some their siblings leading to revolt and tragedy for the entire family. this film probably has one of the highest or THE highest body count of any Shaw Brothers film. Bolo even makes an apparence in the beginning of the story. extremely well written and all out prduction with fine acting make this film a must have by any Shaw Bros. collector.

Bells Of Death 68' (this is one Chang Yi's best roles and the martial arts in this film are of japanese quality. Ku Feng is one of three villians who've brutally murdered Chang Yi's family. Chang meets a master martial artist and is honored by him with being taught how to fight with exceptional talent. great film.)

Shaolin Intruders 83' (an all out extravaganza of martial arts prowess, some of the most difficult and dangerous stunt work are featured in this film, great storyline as well. Pai Piao and Derek Yee are the heroes bent on unveiling an evil sect among the monks in Shaolin Temple known as the Devil's Brood. Chan Shen does fantastic as the head monk and this is probably one of Kao Fei's best roles. some of the stunts have to be seen to be believed. a must have film.

Come Drink With Me 66' (Pei Pei is wonderful in her role and Yueh Hua as the drunken beggar incognito is fantastic here. this film boast the inspiration for what was to become martial arts cinema in the Shaw Brothers productions.)

Twelve Gold Medallions 68' (Yeuh Hua does an excellent ob here, but he's not the baddest ass of the film, it's actually two older veteran actors Ching Miao and Yang Chi-ching, where they exhibit what must be some of the most powerful kung fu skills ever filmed.

King Boxer 68' (one of the best Lo Lieh films and what an amazing cast. excellent pacing and a very well rounded story. the fights are very good in this film, one actor inparticular, Kam Chi Ku (or Gam Kei Chu) has a techinique in which he head butts his opponent into oblivion. he executes this very well. supposedly this was the film that started the kung fu craze in the states. Bruce Lee aside.)

The New One-Armed Swordsman 71' (the stupid name to this film aside, David Chiang, Ku Feng, and Ti Lung kick some serious ass here. Ti Lung meets a gruesome end in this one, a shocking scene, to say the least. Ku Feng with the three section staff is masterful as ever and a real pleasure to watch. IMHO this film actually out does it two predecessors.)

Challenge Of The Masters 76' (anyone who wants to see authentic techniques of kung fu should own this film. Liu Chia Yung and his brother Liu Chia Liang have it out in this story and their duel is by far one of the highlights of this film. Chen Kuan Tai has excellent script to work with here as well. He informs his pupil Gordon Liu, "you have the right humility, this virtue is much more important than kung fu, when you beat a man in a fight you've only won a physical match, but if you can win his heart, well then, you'll have his loyalty. that is the way real kung fu should be. forgive men and forebear." excellent dialogue.)

The Flying Guillotine 74' (a great film all around very well shot considering the weapon and how it's used. Chen Kuan Tai does some fine acting here as well. Not a ton of fighting, but what you do see is well done. Ku Feng is great here as well. this film also has two following sequels, The Flying Guillotine II, and thirdly, Vengeful Beauty. this film is told as a traditional and realistic depiction of the history of this unique weapon which purportedly existed in medieval china. great film.)

Killer Constable 80' (easily one of Chen Kuan Tai's best roles. he is ruthless, heartless, and particularly bloodthirsty here. Ku Feng is fantastic with his role in this film. taking care of his blind daughter. Pai Piao is super cool here as the roaming swordsman. his fight with Chen Kuan Tai is superb as well.)

The Delightful Forest 72' (one of the many of Ti Lung's finest moments in his cinematic career. as hero Wu Sung Ti sets out for revenge. this film is the second in a five film series for his -Ti Lung's- character. the five films are in this order: Amorous Lotus Pan, Tiger Killer, The Delightful Forest, The Water Margin, and finally, All Men Are Brothers. the first fight is with Liu Chia Yung, who is also one of the fight instructors, there are four fighting instructors for this film. this first fight is an amazing display of form, i must say the fall from the second story balcony onto the table and he Ti lands the first punch lying on his back on top of the splintered remains Liu Chia Yung lands on his feet holding onto Ti Lung during the fall from the above balcony. it's great seeing Ti Lung do difficult stunt work like this i must say. Ti Lung's character is a drinking mad man in this story as well. a fact i'm particularly fond of. this film is of course another must have in the Shaws cannon.)

Twin Blades Of Doom 68' (very well done Ling Yun Ching Li film. directed by Doe Chin, a somewhat unknown director for this genre, anyhow. the fighting -choreographing- is excellent in this film, as well as the acting, the storyline, and the pace. the choreographing is of old school japanese quality here. VCD only as well with this truly great film.)

Shadow Of The Whip 70' (beautifully filmed picture in the dead of winter, deep snow is everywhere, lending an air of authenticity to this tale. Yueh Hua and Cheng Pei Pei star here as victims of being framed for murder. Ku Feng is in here with a particularly brutal character, -great fight scene in an outpost like tavern- . a must see for the cinematogrophy alone.)

The Black Tavern 72' (Ku Feng in one of his most vicious roles of his career. one of director Yeh Yung-tsu's earliest efforts. double crosser's incognito, cannibalism, and ruthless violence. the first half hour leads us to the Tavern from there on hold on to your ass! incredible continuity, the fighting is DEAD serious.)

The Twin Swords 65' (an incredibly important film in the wuxia films of Shaw Brothers Studios. this and it's predecessor, Temple Of The Red Lotus, are two of the earliest 'completely' swordplay films to start the genre off. there are three films to this series and they are in order: Temple Of The Red Lotus, The Twin Swords, and The Sword And The Lute. this film has some extremely serious scenes, during which there is no music, no dialogue, just intense moments of breathless gravity, especially for a very young actress caught trying to free her companions imprisoned within a fortress of traps. Ivy Ling Po, possibly Jimmy Wang Yu's 3rd major role in a motion picture. an incredible film. one of the all time classics of the genre.)

Bat Without Wings 80' (a notorious rapist/murder who takes great pleasure in his evil deeds. Ku Feng once again proves his metal in this haunting tale of hysteria and mania. Tang Ching delivers a fantastic portrayal of a man gone completely insane. the second to opening scene where the costumed, bat faced Ku Feng descends upon an unwary group of fighters, he exhibits an almost, uncanny performance of zeal in this particular scene. great escapist film.)

King Eagle 71' (Ti Lung is the King Eagle who no longer wishes to be a part of the martial world and it's corruption is unavoidably drawn into it's treacherous confines. a very well written film. possessing an old school charm that really satisfies. excellent yet minimized acrobatics, appropriate and direct dialogue, and beautifully quaint sets make this film a must have for Ti Lung fans.)

Soul Of The Sword 78' (Ti Lung is concerned with only one thing, being the #1 swordsman, Ku Feng is his shrewd nemesis. this film has one of Ti Lung's most brutal roles. i've never seen Ti Lung play such a heartless character in all the films I've seen of his participation.)

The Bastard 73' (a very different Chu Yuan film. Direct, straight forward storyline coupled with superb fighting choreographing and continuity make this a Tsung Hua classic. Tsung Hua is the humble fighter who being very naive is befriended by Lily Li -this is one of her most touching performances- who teaches the Tsung Hua the rampant lack of ethics in old world China. one Chu Yuan's most straight forward efforts.)

Duel For Gold 71' (director Chu Yuan's purported debut. Ivy Ling Po really stands out in her performance here -as she does in Finger Of Doom- as does Tsung Hua, Lo Lieh, Chin Han, and Wang Ping. Chu Yuan's first toughting of the treacherous deceptions of those who would sell their closest loved ones for avarice and his debut of convoluting a storyline or plot as an art form.)

The Golden Seal 71' (the great Tien Feng actually directs this film as well as co-stars as Senior Master here. A fantastically paced film with an explosive climatic ending by an veteren actor who has directed possibly only this old school film in his earlier career. Tsung Hua is great as Tai Tien-chou who's out to avenge his fathers death. Ku feng is the upstart villian who rises in wealth after killing Tsung Hua's father. a must have Tsung Hua/Ku Feng vehicle directed by a legendary actor -Tien Feng- in his own right.)

The Trail Of The Broken Blade 67' (this is a Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle but... for myself Chiao Chuang kinda steals the show here with his usual great acting abilities. Chiao Chuang falls for Chin Ping after saving her and her father from bandits, yet as they get to know one another better he avows his deep feelings for her, upon this candid confession Chin Ping informs him she's already promised herself to Jimmy Wang Yu even though he's an outlaw. Chiao Chuang instead of being put off, promises to help and possibly retrieve him for her. Chiao Chuang handles his role with profound skill here, in fact really throughout the entire film, actually in any film he graces. he's really good with getting pissed off at someone as well which is highly amusing. a truly great actor. otherwise, the title of this film actually lends you it's intended premise.)

Jade Tiger 77' ( great Chu Yuan directed film. star studded and an easily followable Chu Yuan film. Chu Yuan was an artist. there is one scene inparticular which kinda blew me away as far as imagery goes. 55:00 into the film there is this scene where Shih Szu asks Ti Lung if he believes in 'destiny'. as this scene begins you see Shih Szu's face and an out of focus flower to the right of her face. while she explains here question the camera zooms into her facial features, this results in the flower becoming such a distorted image that it becomes more of an accent of red to the right (her right) of Shih Szu's face. almost like the sun is setting behind her. great transformative zoom, artistic as hell.
art director: Chen Ching-shen did a wonderful job on his part.
great fiim.)

The Silver Fox 68' (great Chang Yi film. Lily Ho does a superb job as well, though she's really not very convincing, as a guy. regardless, the choreographing is very well done in this film. another Fan Mei Sheng character role. he's great here and has a very cool role in the story. extremely cool film. extremely cool music as well.)

The Water Margin 70' (an all star extravaganza including two very popular japanese leads. Great traditional chinese story based on the novel All Men Are Brothers. This film boasts almost every major lead and character actor in the shaws retinue. Fan Mei Sheng is excellent here as Black Whirlwind and his chemistry with David Chiang is classic to say the least. a must own Shaws film.)

The Master Of Kung Fu 73' (this Ho Meng-hua directed film stars Ku Feng as Huang Fei-hung. this is Ku Feng as an upright, honorable, and very tolerant man, facing a host of unethical, immoral, and just plain murderous : relatives, rivals, and gangland brutality. great Ku Feng film. Chan Shen is great here and he takes a mean beating. Wang Hsia is the main villian here and I must say he kicks some serious ass with his attack. Just plain vicious. -I can't wait to see him in Heads For Sale- Ku Feng exhibits some extremely well done authentic kung fu and then some... with that three section staff Ku Feng is licensed to kill, instantly deadly. that weapon is just so difficult to master anyway. much less how many times you'd strike yourself while learning to use it. Ku Feng employs this weapon as though it's childs play. for more three section staff/Ku Feng madness check out, The New One-Armed Swordsman.)

All Men Are Brothers 73' (this follow up to The Water Margin in some ways out does it's predecessor. the action is paced a little more frequently and Chen Kuan Tai gives a great performance here. the delivery of the story and the unfolding of events really keep the viewers attention. a must have Shaws film.)

The Jade Faced Assassin 71' (judging this film by its packaging (pink and not very action packed looking), initially I thought I was in store for a serious let down and had actually held off purchasing it until I discovered Ku Feng held a prominent role in the film though I still entertained my doubts. however, I was in store for a big surprise upon viewing it. this film was very well paced, with excellent acting on all accounts, action with attitude, and the music perfectly accomodated the storyline. the film was more a Ku Feng vehicle at first (his intro with the whip was delivered with conviction and well choreographed for the most part), then Fan Mei Sheng took the reigns for a spell. though this was a Lily Ho, Essie Lin Chia movie and both portrayed their roles nicely. the infrequently seen Kao Yuen also delivered his role flawlessly. at times I feared the film was going to become to undercranked (with the fighting and the pace of the storyline), but this was not the case. very much like a Chu Yuan directed film after twenty minutes or so you realize you've just been treated to good deal of story and action very nicely woven together. again, at first I was worried the score was going to be a little too meddle-some with the storyline, but this was an unfounded fear. the music is also very reminiscent of early 60s Sleepy Eyes Of Death / Akira Ifukube style orchestration. it will sound dated to some but for those of us who appreciate the charm of early Shaw Bros. and early samurai film music this is highly appreciated. the film is a must have for any serious collector of this genre.